


December

by dannyphantomyeetme



Series: #thesquad UFS [15]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Angst, Danny had ptsd, Danny has trouble learning, Danny's parents aren't great in this one, I mean Lancer knows Fenton is Phantom, Lancer knows, M/M, Sad, Though that's only implied, Vlad is the only reasonable adult at Fenton Works, also only implied, danny needs therapy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:41:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28116333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dannyphantomyeetme/pseuds/dannyphantomyeetme
Summary: December is never a good month for Danny. This December is the absolute worst.
Relationships: Danny Fenton/Wesley Weston, Jack Fenton/Maddie Fenton/Vlad Masters, Sam Manson/OC
Series: #thesquad UFS [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1686805
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	December

**Author's Note:**

> I listened to "Retrograde // James Blake" on repeat while writing this fic.
> 
> Not sure if this fits within #TheSquad 'canon' but I wrote it and it exists and it has all the same traits and characters, so that's the series I'm adding it to.

_"At this rate, there is simply no way you are going to pass this year, Mr. Fenton."_

_"But Mr. Lancer, I-"_

_"I know, Danny. Look, I've tried to help you, but the only class you're passing is English. I simply can't give my colleagues a viable excuse for why we should let you pass. You're too far behind."_

_"... Okay."_

-

Danny hasn't told Wes yet.

To be fair, Danny doesn't think Wes has noticed just how far Danny's fallen behind in school. He's been busy, and that's been working in Danny's favor because it means Wes hasn't noticed just how much confusion is swimming around in Danny's brain when Wes mentions anything school-related.

He doesn't understand the school-work. He can stare at his homework for hours without solving a single problem. No matter how much his teachers try to explain what he's supposed to be doing, Danny is too far behind to get what they're going on about.

He _just doesn't get it_. It doesn't help that any bit of extra school work on top of the pile that he's yet to finish makes him want to physically throw up in sheer panic. There's too much, and because there's so much he doesn't do any of it. He doesn't know where to start.

But he does know, without a doubt, that his parents must be so disappointed in him. Even Vlad. And fuck if it isn't funny that the thought of that stings now. If someone had told Danny just one year ago that he'd ever care even a little bit what the elder Halfa thought of him, he'd have laughed in their faces.

And then there's Jazz, who just doesn't seem to get what Danny's even having trouble with in the first place...

He can't take Wes's disappointment on top of it all. He just can't.

So he keeps quiet about it.

-

It's Wednesday. Danny woke up this morning thinking it was Saturday and ended up extremely late to school.

He doesn't know how that happened.

Now it's after school. Danny and Wes are sat at the kitchen table at Fenton Works. Danny can hear Vlad and Ana bickering in the living room. It's a thousand times better than mom and dad's fighting for the entire month of December, but it still makes him somewhat tense. His parents aren't home but he's worried that they'll come home early and that Wes will hear their fighting.

Danny's jittery and he can't focus on his homework. His fingers keep tapping against the table and he keeps listening to make sure Vlad and Ana's arguing is still playful. He winces when he hears Ana laugh, then relaxes when the sound is happy.

Wes, who's trying to do his physics homework, seems to be getting annoyed.

"Okay," he says. "What gives?"

"Huh?" Danny asks.

"You're all weird, and you're not doing your homework."

"I suck at math," Danny says.

"Yeah, but usually you at least try to do it," Wes crosses his arms, leaning back in his chair. "Come on, Danny, talk to me."

 _What's the point?_ Danny wants to ask. _I'm not even gonna pass the year._

He stays quiet.

"Is this about your parents?" Wes asks.

Danny waits for just a beat too long to answer.

"No."

"Then what, dorkus?" Wes asks. He glances at the sheet in front of Danny. "You haven't answered a single question."

"I just don't get any of it," Danny says with a shrug. "I'll ask Lancer for some help. It's not a big deal."

Wes's eyes narrow. Clearly, it's not a satisfying answer.

-

_"Is everything alright at home?"_

_"I haven't really been sleeping."_

_"I thought you said ghosts calmed down around Christmas."_

_"They do... I just can't relax, I guess."_

-

Somewhere in the house, a plate shatters.

Danny is awake in an instant, upright in bed with his sheets clutched in his fists.

He never used to be this bad.

Sure, the fact that his parents fight so much in December has always sucked, but he didn't become this jittery until he became half ghost. Maybe it's something about how he relates fighting to physical pain now, or the fact that his hearing has increased significantly to the point where he can hear every word, no matter where in the house he is.

The point is: he's awake and he can't bring himself to lie back down. His entire body is tense. He wants to cry, though he's not sad; he's angry.

And maybe a little scared.

His parents have never hurt him. Not while they knew it was him, anyway. And still, he's afraid, if not of them then because of them.

He feels disgusted with himself.

 _"Will you two be quiet?"_ Vlad's voice interrupts his two partners' argument. _"In case you're unaware, you've both already woken up the entire house. Your behavior is highly inappropriate with children present under your roof."_

Danny's hands are shaking. In his experience, interrupting his parents is just about the worst thing to do in these situations.

But his parents sound mildly shameful as they apologize. They tell Vlad goodnight, and they head to bed.

The house goes quiet.

Eventually, Danny lies back down.

He doesn't sleep for the rest of the night.

-

"Danny."

"Hmmm?"

Danny looks up, feeling like he's waking up even though he knows he hasn't been sleeping. They're in the library, Sam's sitting across from him with a book in her lap. Danny's been staring at his own book for what feels like hours now. He hasn't turned the page once.

"You're supposed to be studying."

"I know."

"You asked me to help you."

"I _know_ ," Danny says irritably. "I just can't concentrate."

"I can tell. You were gone for a minute there... Do you wanna talk about it?"

Sam leans across the table to get closer to Danny. For all their petty little arguments lately, they're still as close as ever. Danny knows Sam cares about him, and worries for him. He knows his closed-off behavior hurts her.

"Nothing to talk about," Danny says. "Just tired."

"It's the fighting, right?" Sam asked. "Ana mentioned how bad it-"

"It's not worse than other years," Danny says. Maybe it's a bit of a lie, but he feels like he should defend his parents. They're good parents. They're not doing anything wrong. "She's just not used to it."

"You're saying my girlfriend, who was basically raised by the mafia, isn't used to family fighting?" Sam asks, unimpressed.

"She wasn't raised by the _mafia_ ," Danny says, indignant.

"Stop changing the subject."

"I don't wanna talk about it, okay?!" Danny snaps. "They're fighting. It sucks. End of story."

Sam gives him The Look, which is usually reserved for only his stupidest of moments, but Danny presses his lips together and shakes his head.

There's nothing to talk about.

-

_"This is the fifth time you're in my office this week, Mr. Fenton."_

_"I can explain..."_

_"I don't need you to explain. It's clear to me that something is wrong. I thought we were making progress."_

_"So you're disappointed in me, too."_

_"Danny..."_

_"No, it's fine. I get it. Whatever."_

-

"What do you mean you have to repeat the year?" Wes asks. His eyes are wide. "We're not even at the halfway point! How can you know?"

"I'm just too far behind." Danny shrugs. "No catching up, now."

"How did that even happen?"

"I haven't really been doing homework..."

They're at Wes's house. Linda isn't home. Walter is around somewhere, respectfully not listening as far as Danny can tell. Who knows where West is. Probably with Ellie.

They're in Wes's room. Danny is sitting cross-legged on Wes's bed, books that he hasn't been using spread around him. Wes is sitting on his desk chair, swiveled around to gape at Danny.

"Danny," Wes says. He sounds angry, maybe. Danny can't tell anymore. "What the fuck?"

"Well, I-" Danny hates the tears that well up in his eyes. He turns his head and attempts angrily to blink them away. "I don't get any of it. There's too much. And there's always a ghost whenever I get a good flow going, and then I try to sit down again and I've just lost it."

Danny can't concentrate if he has to stop doing something in the middle. He wants to be able to sit down, write a report or essay in one go, and be able to cross it off his list. If he stops in-between, he can't get back into it.

But it's more than that. Getting started is a problem, too.

Lately, he just doesn't wanna do any of it anymore at all.

"Maybe I'm just stupid."

"You're not stupid," Wes says, sounding even angrier. "Don't say that about yourself."

Danny says nothing.

"Jesus, Danny," Wes continues. "Why didn't you say anything earlier? I could have helped you! Now you're in deep shit and I don't know how to-"

"I didn't say I wanted your help, Wes."

"Well, but I'm supposed to help you, right?" Wes asks. "I can't just let you fail."

"You're not _letting_ me do anything!"

Danny closes his mouth quickly, shocked at himself.

Wes blinks at him.

"Sorry," Danny blurts. "I'm so sorry."

"Why did you just shout at me?" Wes asks. 

"I don't know. I'm sorry."

"It's... okay?" Wes stands up. He walks over to the bed and sits down next to Danny carefully. "I just don't understand."

"Me either," Danny admits.

He feels like an ass.

-

_"Get the fuck out of this house, Jack!"_

A door slams. Danny winces.

Outside the RV starts up.


End file.
